Every hotel and/or hotel chain on the planet is striving to capture more traffic on their website and convert that traffic into hotel guests. The burning question is however: What hotel companies are doing a great job online?
To provide a bit more structure to a highly subjective topic, the seven-step travel process will be employed. Those stages are:
Inspiration
Research
Planning
Validation
Booking
Travel
Sharing
So please take a few minutes to complete the survey below. Weigh in on who you think is doing an exceptional job of engaging their guests in each phase of the travel process.
Ideally, use the hotel brand’s Twitter handle in each response – that will make it easier to collate the responses and communicate the results. If you don’t know the hotel’s name on Twitter, just use the brand name. And yes, I am asking for your Twitter ID to sign the survey in an effort to eliminate stuffing of the ballot box (Would hoteliers do that…?) If you’re not on Twitter, please use your e-mail address.
Both The Social Network, the movie, and its subject, Facebook, join the ranks of iconic films that document events epitomizing a decade’s cultural changes.
Similar films in this rare genre, dramatizations based on seminal events, include:
However, the most interesting aspect of The Social Network is that it not only profiles a social force shaping the millennial generation, but also expertly documents the universal strains faced by many startups.
Leaders, followers, pretenders, traitors, muses and investors – they are all players that frequently march in the startup parade – particularly organizations that stick around long enough to survive the process.
So this poll question is simple – if you had been involved in chaos of starting up Facebook, what role would you have played? There is an excellent chance that there is a character in the mix that aligns well with your sensibilities and motivations.
The Social Network Poll Notes:
Erica Albright is a fictionalized name, but if you click on her name, you will link to the famed Mark Zuckerberg document that calls Jessica Alona a bitch
Christy Ling is also a fictionalized character – clicking on her name will link to an unanswered Quora query wheter she represents Jenny Wu – feel free to reply and solve the mystery
Marilyn Delpy completes the trio of fictionalized women – the character was not mentioned in The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal, the book by Ben Mezrich that served as the basis for the movie
In the photo of Chris Hughes, actor Patrick Mapel is on the far right
The photo of Peter Thiel is the real Peter Thiel. No publicity photos have been released of the scene featuring actor Wallace Langham
While people may be capable of playing many roles, only one answer is permitted, so what role would fit you best or most closely suit your personality?
Answer honestly – it will be interesting to see how many people perceive themselves a Zuckerberg, Saverin, Winklevoss or Ling.
Facebook’s Social Graph is a unique and powerful resource – and companies want to leverage it. A Like on Facebook provides an endorsement that can evangelize a product to new groups of followers and opens new channels of communication if they follow suit and like the product as well.
Please say you like me, then you'll find out why... No need to hesitate... Why don't you trust me? Just click that Like button.
Born on sleepy Vashon Island, Washington 45 years ago, K2 Ski Company has always been at the forefront of brand marketing innovation and engagement with its customers. Even 40 years ago, they were painting barns, issuing collectible employee trading cards and sponsoring Dick Barrymore directed films at the dawn of freestyle.
Much more recently, in a bold effort to engage its website users with Facebook, which some may prefer to call “Like-bait”, K2 temporarily shut down its website and provided one navigation option – to its Facebook page. The main attraction is an exclusive preview of K2′s new 2010 ski line on Facebook.
But here’s the catch, to access the preview, one must click the Facebook Like button and become a fan first.
So here is the question, is it ethical to make the “Like” button part of the site navigation? Or, is pretty much anything OK as the user can opt-out of clicking Like and skip the content, or click Like, view the content, and then click Unlike to return to the status quo?
UPDATE: To assist in providing the best possible recommendation, here is some background:
Current Phone: (A highly modified 2 year-old HTC 8925/ AT&T Tilt smartphone running a non-standard radio and “Cooked” ROM courtesy of the fine folks at XDA Developers that leverages AT&T’s HSDPA network using the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS, Skyfire Browser & 8GB MicroSD. Windows Mobile provides reading & creation of MS Office documents, as well as syncing with Outlook 2010. The phone supports native YouTube video, music player, Flash Lite, GPS, enhanced Bluetooth pairing and full QWERTY keyboard. It is not exceptionally fast, but provides acceptable capability to simultaneously take calls using a Bluetooth headset while receiving e-mail and running Google Maps in GPS mode.
Telephone: I use my mobile as my combined office & personal phone, so I require high quality reception, background noise filtering if possible, and a nice loud speaker-phone. Do not want dropped calls.
Data: Monthly, I consume between 500MB and 1GB of data. Mostly web, e-mail & social networking, but some Google Maps GPS & video as well. Need fast data access.
Travel: I travel extensively, predominantly throughout the US, but periodically internationally. My TripIt account tells me that for the first 6 months of 2010, I will have taken 15 trips covering 27,000 miles over 49 days to 15 cities in 2 countries. My guess is that the ratio of international travel will be increasing over the next two years.
Future Needs: Ability to run Apps in addition to mobile web to enhance consulting capabilities, provide instant feedback to clients and for usability improvements. Ideally want the smartphone & platform to sustain me at a high level of functionality & efficiency throughout the 2-year agreement term. May decide to post more Qik/UStream content for blog / social networks in future.
That’s all – In short, I am looking for a high quality, reliable, fast smartphone for heavy voice and data usage.
It’s finally official – after over five years of failed predictions, 2010 has finally become, drum roll, please…The Year of Mobile.
With legions of swooning fans and impassioned critics, the mobile turf battles have erupted beyond the mobile carriers and have simultaneously broken out between handset manufacturers, operating systems and rich media platforms.
I have run a lot of polls recently on the Views from a Corner Suite blog, but as silly or nonsensical previous topics may have been, this question is serious, as it will be asked by a growing army of consumers over the coming months. Smartphones not only lock buyers into multi-year financial commitments, but the adoption of a piece of technology that is bound to be made inferior by newer models within a few months.
Given that I will be freed from the chains of my two year-old cell phone contract at the end of the month, the burning question is: What Smartphone Should I Buy?
After the jump are a variety of comparisons, videos, specs and reviews of the hottest current smartphones and previews of several eagerly awaited models arriving in time for the holidays. Please select carefully – I’ll be stuck with the damn thing for 2 years!
Travel reality show The Amazing Race recently wrapped its 16th edition. The critically acclaimed show (a personal favorite) involves two person teams unpredictably traversing the world following clues and performing various localized challenges to win a million dollar prize. Unfortunately, there is one fundamental problem with the show…
Watching inexperienced travelers grapple with unfamiliar foreign customs may appeal to a broad demographic of aspiring world travelers, but for those of us involved in the travel industry, the fish-out-of-water scenarios only go so far.
For a truly amazing race, I say pit teams of insanely experienced world travel experts against each other to see who comes out on top. Eliminate the naiveté and suddenly the sophistication of the clues, complexity of the challenges and destinations visited can be elevated to an entirely new level.
After a round of nominations, the teams have been assembled. There is an incredibly wide variety of travel experience and industry expertise possessed by the team members. The teams range from famed CEO’s to nomadic travel bloggers and highly regarded industry analysts to award winning journalists. Some teams reflect current working relationships, for others, only a shared commonality within an industry niche. All are accomplished travelers in their own right – one could do worse than traveling with any one of them.
Please note that the direct input of the individuals comprising the teams was not taken into consideration when defining the teams. There is a chance that particular individuals may not be able to stand the other member in their pairing. Hypothetically, for some, the $1 million prize might take precedence over petty differences. As for those that might encounter difficulty finding common ground, there is always the benefit of entertaining television.
So, the question is: Who would be the ultimate two-person team to race around the world for a $1 million dollar prize?
The conclusion of season 16 for CBS reality show The Amazing Race airs Sunday evening, May 9. The show, a consecutive seven-time Outstanding Reality-Competition Program winner at the Primetime Emmy Awards, has earned a cult following and is at the very least, a guilty pleasure for most travel enthusiasts.
What two-person Dream Team would make the other contestants eat their dust in a race around the world? Are travel writers, road warriors, travel industry executives, travel agents or tour guides worthy of consideration?
While most viewers, from the familiar surroundings of their living rooms, frequently feel that they could, if paired with the right person, make a good showing and be competitive. This year, the three teams making the final race for the million dollar prize at the finish line include dating models, two cowboys, and gay brothers, not exactly the most likely candidates…
The question is: Who would be the ultimate two-person team to beat in a race around the world for a $1 million dollar prize?
Over the next two weeks, I will leave that decision up to the collective wisdom of the Twitterverse.
The competition will be broken into two parts – Nominations and Voting. The nomination process is simple – select the two individuals (with Twitter accounts) that you feel make the best team, and give that team an appropriate name.
Once nominations close, the top 30 teams nominated will face off in a poll to win the distinction of being called “The Amazing Race Dream Team.”
Phase 1: Nominations(Closes Noon GMT Friday, May 14) Tweet your nominees using the following format:
This poll is designed to identify the news story from the past week that has the greatest potential to shape the future of the travel industry. Complicating the voting are some stories that are not based on fact at this point, but reflect unsubstantiated ideas or concepts. Some stories involve increasing the market share of leading organizations through mergers or acquisitions; others technological advances that could shift the balance of power between various players within the industry. The results will indicate the “Inflularity” of the event that voters feel create the greatest impact. The question for this week’s RockCheetah poll is “What Event Could Have the Greatest Influence on the Future of Travel?”
This poll is designed to identify the best luxury hotel in the world. The best hotel chain is not measured solely by the beauty of its views from suite balconies, the thread-count of its sheets, or the price of its rooms. The secret sauce for these properties comes down to service – the magical ability to anticipate guest needs and provide personal service in an efficient, yet understated manner. The results will indicate the “Luxularity” of the luxury hotel brand that voters feel provide the best overall experience. The question for this week’s RockCheetah poll is “What is the World’s Best Luxury Hotel Brand?”
This poll is designed to evaluate the most popular casino hotel in Las Vegas when it comes to social media. The results will indicate the “Socularity” of the Las Vegas casino hotel that those surveyed feel engages their community most effectively through social media. The question for this week’s RockCheetah poll is “What Las Vegas Casino Hotel Does Social Media Best?”
This poll is designed to evaluate the most popular, IDEAL, method for booking leisure travel arrangements. The results will indicate the “Bookularity” of the preferred category comprising the booking method and type of travel seller that those surveyed feel provides the greatest value in the leisure travel reservation process for airline, hotel, car rental and attractions. The question for this week’s RockCheetah poll is “What is Your Ideal Method to Book Leisure Travel?”
